“See those two little guys?” Palisade High School football coach John Arledge says. “They’re gonna gets their tails kicked today.”

Meet Palisade’s scout team, a group of underclassmen who are undersized on an already lightweight squad. For this practice, they represent No. 7-seeded Evergreen, whom the No. 10 Bulldogs play at 11 a.m. Saturday in a Class 3A first-round playoff game at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood.

Alex Wilmore is the 126-pounder with a mesh jersey that hangs to the side like a sash. He has one carry for five yards on varsity. He’s attempting to emulate Evergreen standout running back Quinn O’Neill.

Guys like Wilmore, these scout-teamers who get plowed throughout practice and stand for seconds, have Arledge’s utmost respect.

And what a better scout team to prepare Palisade? The Bulldogs’ junior varsity team went 9-0.

This afternoon, Wilmore is repeatedly run over and swept aside like a used napkin. He is knocked into double axles and triple salchows. Assistant coach Dan Green holds up a play diagram that shows the defense what’s coming. Wilmore to the 6-hole. Defense, help yourselves.

Meanwhile, Arledge is in the middle of the action, yelling and jabbing motivational coaching jargon at a team that he admits is, as usual, smaller than the competition.

“It’s like building the Taj Mahal with two pounds of concrete and dang it, we’ve got to get it done,” Arledge said.

Two pounds of concrete. Or in Wilmore’s case, 126 pounds of man-power preparing his defense for a state title run. Palisade has done this before as state champions in 1994, ‘95, ‘96, ‘97 and 2003. No doubt, scout-teamers contributed to their success. Guys just like Wilmore, willing to be pounded on until it’s their turn to be the varsity first-teamers.

“You get used to it,” Wilmore said. “So finally, it’s like, ‘OK.’ “

Parental discretion is advised. If you’re looking for Nemo, he won’t be in a fish bowl or a drain pipe and definitely not on the Palisade practice field.

“If your approach is like safe and happy … this isn’t Disney,” Arledge said. “Practice should be tougher than the game.”

Only those within the white lines of a high school football practice, those who run until the scoreboard is about the only light remaining, know the value of a quality scout team.

They are the last line of preparation before a season-determining game. The 126-pounder must become, against all laws of physics, an all-state running back. Or an All-American crash dummy.

“Everybody’s been on a scout team,” Arledge said. “They get more beat up than anyone. And when I’m old, they’ll be men in the real world, working and successful.”